KEY TIPS ON HOW TO CREATE THE PERFECT DIGITAL SIGNAGE DESIGN

Although digital signage is broadly used by businesses around the world, a significant number of them get it wrong. They forget that the effectiveness of the signage is correlated to its content.

The screen itself, like social media or a website, is simply a medium. The design and content that it features are what make the difference. The right design, complemented by awesome, relevant content can grab your audience’s attention, shape their perspective, and inspire them to take action.

The question therefore is, how do you design compelling digital signage? The good news is that you do not have to be a design professional to get started.

Here are4 key tips to creating the perfect digital signage design:

Pay attention to your audience

Experience will tell you that different types of people respond to different types of design and content. A basic demographic detail as age can play a big role. A business is catering to mature audiences, above the age of 60, and their digital signage places emphasis on social media engagement. Do you think that they will be able to engage their audience? However, the opposite would be true for a hip clothing store catering to females between the ages of 18 and 25.

On the other hand, if you were catering to top-tier executives and professionals, your digital signage should feature clean, sleek design and modest colour schemes.

Make it location-relevant

Location, like in real estate, is of the utmost importance when designing your signage. Your design and content will depend, to a large extent, on where you will be placing the signage. Will it be:

Alongside your product aisles,

At the point of sale,

Entrance to your business,

Where your target audience passes by or

Or where your customers wait, looking around?

Answering the above questions will help you ascertain the messaging (content), design and motion. If your digital signage is going to be where your target audience passes by, you have mere seconds to grab their attention. In that case, you will need to ensure your design is simple and the messaging is clear. There is no room for clutter nor time for the prospect to stop, think and figure out what you are saying. A good rule of thumb is KISS: keep it simple stupid.

Also, where you place your signage will have a direct impact on the relevance of your content. If you are trying to get the attention of an audience at a spot where they wait, you will have ample time to roll out plenty of content. However, remember, you will be competing with their mobile phones. Look for ways to make your digital signage fun and engaging. Simple games and trivia questions often work.

Don’t forget basic design principles

The goal of each piece of digital signage you display is to appeal to the visual senses of your audience and make it easy for them to consume your content. You may have identified your target audience clearly and have access to the best locations, but all that goes to waste if your design elements are not in sync. Here are some basic principles to focus on when designing yours:

Pick a font that is easy to read, such as Helvetica, and make sure you do not use more than two types of fonts otherwise the sign becomes too busy for easy reading.

Colour scheme. The fewer colors that you use, the better. It is best to have one dominant colour, a second to contrast, and a third for accent.

Rule of thirds. Visualise your signage as a square with nine squares, and place content along the intersections. One-third of the space for a visual is sufficient.

The content on your signage needs to move at a reasonable speed: not too fast or too slow.

Keep your copy concise and clean.

Include a call to action

Once you have grabbed your audience’s attention, you need to tell them what to do next. While it does sound simple, it has been proven to be very effective. Use a strong verb to entice the viewer to take action, possibly immediately. Tell them which number to call, website or social media channel to visit or where to go to take advantage of the information that you have shown them. Creating a sense of urgency (e.g. Call Today, Limited Stock, etc.) helps elicit action.

Although it is simple to design digital signs that works, it is not easy. You must take a lot of things into consideration during the design process to ensure your output is of the highest quality, eye-catching, and, most importantly, capable of inspiring your audience to take action. Give the above tips a try and let us know how it worked for your business.

About the Author

Stan is a marketing manager at Selby’s, an Australian printing company that specializes in flags, banners, exhibition stands and signs. Their clients include McDonald, Lexus, City of Sydney and more. His passion is to help businesses and organizations understand how offline marketing displays can boost their brand awareness and sales.

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